Redneck Triathlon 2
by OneSmartBoochi
Summary: Eric can't stand Stone Cold Steve Austin and he is still fuming over the fact he lost the Redneck Triathlon. In a bid to quench his thirst for revenge and to rid himself of his rattlesnake problem Eric decides to challenge Stone Cold to his own contest for the sole GM rights to RAW! Mentions of beer and some light language so be forewarned.


Series - WWE  
Rating - TV-14  
Warnings - Language/Drinking  
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. It is owned by Vince McMahon, I'm just part of the WWE Universe.  
Summary - Eric can't stand Stone Cold Steve Austin and he is still fuming over the fact he lost the Redneck Triathlon. In a bid to quench his thirst for revenge and to rid himself of his rattlesnake problem Eric decides to challenge Stone Cold to his own contest for the sole GM rights to RAW!  
Author's Note - I wrote this story when I first started writing. Needless to say, I was shocked about just how poorly written it was when I went back over it. I never finished this story but I believe that this part can stand alone and if I get requests to finish it, then I will. This story was originally meant to go in a slashy direction but I have changed my mind and made it completely neutral. I was writing it for someone else who had requested Eric X Austin but I am not fond of the pairing so I nixed it.  
Word Count - 2218

* * *

"So your thinkin' bout another stupid little contest are ya?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking and this time it will be on MY terms. Of course I wasn't going to beat you at your 'Redneck Triathlon', I mean let's face it, I have too much class to have beaten you at something as revolting as that! No, let's see how you handle a contest that actually requires both skill and finesse!" Eric said with all of the smugness he could muster. He knew that tricking Austin into his scheme would be easier said than done and that goading him was the best way to go.

"Ya know what? Since I'm a fair Co-GM and everything is 50-50 right down the middle, I'm gonna give ya yer little contest. I just got one problem. What in the blue hell do ya have in mind for the contest?"

"Does it matter? You let me worry about that!" Eric challenged, confident that his plan to get Austin to go along with his idea was working.

"No it doesn't matter you creepy little bastard! I can beat yer ass anywhere, anytime, at anything!"

"Well then, it's settled. Oh and Steve, just one more thing, when I beat you I want full control of RAW, no more of this Co-GM crap. I'll see you in the ring!" Eric said as he blew Austin a kiss and started towards his office.

* * *

Heading out of the parking lot and into the arena, Eric was silently thankful for the rush of warm air that washed over him. This year in Minneapolis had been the harshest on record and he hoped that the bitter chill would find it's end in short order. Within a few minutes of walking backstage, Eric finally came across the man he needed to talk to.

"Coach! Hold on a sec!" Eric called as he jogged towards him. The rapid change of air temperature in his lungs sent light stabbing needles of pain throughout his side, causing him to clutch at it as he grabbed a hold of a shoulder and turned around Coach, who had not heard his shout, finally getting his attention."Hey man is everything ready for tonight?"

"Yeah Boss, I got everything ready just like you asked. There is one thing I wanted to talk to you about though."

"Well, what is it?" Eric asked, annoyed by the thought of any hindrance to his plans.

"This thing with you and Austin tonight, well...I mean are you sure this is such a good idea? It's not like I don't think you will..."

"Coach, Coach, Coach!" Eric silenced with a wave of his hands. "Tonight, Steve Austin won't know what hit him!"

"Well I gotta hand it to you, it sounds like everything is running smoothly. I do have one piece of bad news, I'm afraid that McMahon is waiting for you in your office."

'_Calling her a piece of bad news is an understatement!' _Eric thought silently to himself. "What does she want?"

"I don't know, but knowing Stephanie the odds are good that whatever it is can not be good for you."

"Women." Eric sighed, shaking his head as he continued on his way backstage, picking up a coffee from catering. _'I've got better things to do than to deal with her. A little wait won't kill her, what is she gonna do about it? Besides, I'm cold enough as it is without the frostbite that she spreads around' _He thought quietly to himself.

"Eric!" Came a voice from behind that made Eric mutter a curse under his breath, before turning to see Stephanie McMahon walking straight towards him.

"Princess! So lovely to have you here. I was just on my way to see you! Couldn't wait to see me tonight could you?" Eric chimed while giving Stephanie his best heart stopping smile. He knew that if there was one thing he knew about Stephanie, it was that she hated him being cordial with her.

"Save the sarcasm for someone who cares, Eric. I was coming here tonight to let you know that I will be signing a new talent to Smackdown! But now I'm here on somewhat of a peace mission, believe it or not. I heard from Coach on my way in tonight that you had something planned to get rid of Austin. Well to me that sounds like a pretty good idea. If I can help you get rid of Austin then that leaves just you to deal with. So as strange as this sounds coming from me I wish you the best of luck! You will need it after all. I mean, even my father couldn't get rid of him after all of these years I don't know what makes you think that you can!" Stephanie said as she smiled right back at Eric.

"Stephanie, whatever 'talent' you sign doesn't worry me a bit because I already have all of the superstars signed right here to RAW and as for your little 'peace mission' just stay out of my way tonight. Did you forget that I kicked your father's ass for 84 weeks straight weeks? I think I can handle a little rattlesnake infestation. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to." Eric said as he tossed his coffee cup into the trash can behind Stephanie. "Oh look! I think I see Smackdown's ratings for last week!" Eric quipped before starting towards his office, leaving a fuming Stephanie McMahon behind.

* * *

Turning a corner as he made his way past various pieces of equipment, Eric finally reached the Co-General Manager's office. _'Soon to be only MY office.'_ Eric thought as he walked inside.

"Shouldn't you be off in a corner somewhere drinking yourself to death?" Eric spat as he saw that his Co-GM was making himself at home."What is this thing doing back here?" Eric said as he gestured to a large spinning wheel that he recognized as being the same one he used in the previous Triathlon.

"Hey there, Eric, glad yer here! I figured that since yer a fair Co-GM and all that the same rules that applied during the last contest will apply during this one too!" Austin said, giving the wheel a decisive spin.

"You know something, Austin? You are right! I am a fair Co-GM, so that is just fine by me. Same rules apply. I'm not worried. It's you who should be worried. After all, I am the one who invented this wheel don't you remember?" Eric stated proudly as he stopped the wheel with one hand and looked over at Stone Cold, who was now sitting on top of his desk drinking a beer. "Get off of there! You're gonna scratch the finish with your leg braces!" Eric yelled as he shot the other man a glare.

"Sure. No problem! I wouldn't wanna put a scratch on your desk. That's just the kind of thoughtful guy I am." Austin said as he slid off the desk and placed his beer down on top of it.

"Yeah, real thoughtful!" Eric yelled as he picked up the beer and tossed it into a wastebasket. "My desk is not a giant coaster for your beers either!"

"Are you saying that Stone Cold is not thoughtful? I got off your stupid little desk and all I did was set my drink down ya big baby!" Austin said with a hint of amusement in his voice. Messing with Eric was just so much fun sometimes. The guy was wound up so tight Steve wondered how his head didn't just pop right off.

"This is a five thousand dollar desk!" Eric said as he knocked twice on the top of his desk. "You hear that! Solid oak!" He said as he walked right up to Steve, his ego not allowing even an ounce of fear to show though. "Everything may be 50-50 GM wise but this is MY desk. Don't sit on it, don't set anything on it, don't touch it. Are we clear? Do we have an understanding?" Eric spoke in a voice louder than necessary as he pointed a finger towards Austin, his anger seething beneath the surface.

"First off, if ya don't get that finger outta my face I'm gonna bite it off and second I won't touch yer precious desk little desk. Alright? Let's focus on tonights show. Whaddya got for our main event?" Austin said in an attempt to quickly change the subject as he looked down at Eric.

"Good! Now tonight, I've got Triple H with Evolution at ringside VS Chris Jericho in a number one contender's match for the WWE championship." Eric replied, satisfied that his main event would generate high ratings for RAW.

"That's fine by me," Austin said as he took a step towards the door. "Since ya went ahead and made the main event tonight and everythin' here is half mine, I'm making the next match! Now here is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take Rey Mysterio and the Big Show and have'em face Jeff and Matt Hardy for the tag team titles!" Austin said as he left their office leaving Eric alone for the time being.

_'Good riddance!'_ Eric smiled to himself as Stone Cold left what he considered to rightfully be his office. "I can't wait for the day when he walks out that door for the last time!" Eric said to no one as he took a seat behind his desk. Propping his feet atop the high glossed piece of furniture, he leaned back in his chair before folding his hands together and placing them neatly in his lap as he closed his eyes.

_'I've got an entire hour to myself before the show stars up tonight and in a few days, Stone Cold Steve Austin will cease to exist as a thorn in my side.' _Eric thought as he lay back in his chair, resting peacefully. Having always been the type to treasure peace and quiet he decided that hiding out until his assistant came to get him was the best way to spend this rare bit of free time. Everything had already been prepared for this evening and he wasn't aware of anyone needing him for anything so he was free to just sit back and relax, giving him a chance to mentally sort through some things that had been troubling him.

He began to mentally read over his copy of the nights run sheet. After several moments of blinking, he sighed a defeated sigh and began to shuffle in his jacket pocket for his reading glasses as he righted his chair and found the paper copy on his desk. _'Damn, I'm getting old.' _He thought as he returned his focus to the paper in his hands.

"Let's see what we got here..." Eric said as his eyes scrolled down the list of matches for the evening and saw that he was not needed for any additional segments other than the one he had planned. Still, he was required to remain on hand in the event that anything went wrong at the last minute.

Tucking his glasses back safely into his jacket, Eric rose from his seat behind the desk and crossed over to the other side of the room where the wheel that would decide the kinds of contests him and Stone Cold would compete in stood.

"One would think that the guy would have caught on by now that I never play any games that are not stacked in my favor to win." Eric grinned wickedly to himself as he crouched down behind the wheel and cracked open a small black panel at its base. Pausing to make sure that no one was about to barge in and catch him in the act of sabotage, he proceeded to punch a series of codes into the small keypad. Replacing the panels casing he moved back around to the front of the wheel and gave it a spin.

"What a great idea it was to have Coach install that piece in the back. Now that I have this wheel set up to land on whatever I want it to, Austin doesn't stand a chance in hell of beating me." Eric said as he thought about how shocked he had pretended to be earlier when he saw the wheel in his office.

The week before he had brought up the idea of another contest to Steve, who was quick to dismiss him as being out of his mind for wanting to have his ass handed to him again. Later that same evening, however, he had secretly overheard Steve talking with J.R. about accepting the challenge and bringing the wheel back for the contest. That is when the idea of finding a way to rig the wheel popped into his mind and he had Coach replace a little gadget that he had removed from the wheel when he first created it. Now that he had activated the panel, he could control what space he wanted the wheel to land on by a remote that he had given to Coach for safe keeping.

His plan to have Austin removed from power was set to go off without a hitch.


End file.
